


The Sun Reflects The Ocean | 阳光照得海

by salemcries



Series: non-fandom related stuff u-u [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Ancient China, Chinese Mythology & Folklore, Fluff, M/M, Morality, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Plot, Romance, Slow Burn, Some Political Intrigue, Wuxia, imma sprinkle some life lessons in here, slavery is bad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:56:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26056828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/salemcries/pseuds/salemcries
Summary: Luo Fei loves a lot of things. He loves bright colors, loves the time of day when the air cools from the setting sun and the heavens begin painting, loves the deafening sound of crickets in summer, loves the blue-orange of the ocean when the morning sun hits it.When he's taken from his ocean, from his home, and locked away from the sky, he vows to one day break free; no matter the cost.Though some strange twists of fate, he meets a dragon who holds a throne as bright as his eyes, befriends a court of weirdos, uncovers a poorly-hidden secret that spans over hundreds of years, and tries to find a way to stop an all-out war that's looming dangerously through kingdoms.(not in that specific order, of course){just a small project i'm working on....i wanted to post it since it's been in my head for a while}
Relationships: Luo Fei | Luo Chengfeng/Jian Hai | Jian Fulin
Series: non-fandom related stuff u-u [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1891567
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	The Sun Reflects The Ocean | 阳光照得海

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't thought much on its Chinese name and I might change the title later, but I'll stick with this for now;;;;
> 
> (unbetaed, so there might be mistakes here and there, my apologies)
> 
> heads up: this is something that i'm largely writing for fun and thought i would share it. i'm asian, but i still might be uneducated on some of my culture, so apologizes if something seems historically inaccurate.
> 
> trigger warnings at the end notes. there will be somethings that will potentially be triggering, so read it beforehand.

Luo Fei wakes up with the clawing sensation of pain over his chest.

He isn’t surprised, nor is he relieved. Just... tired. Just bone-searing weariness that imbeds itself into his core.

He sits up, his chains rattling soundly against the floor. It’s dark in the room, as expected, and Luo Fei brings himself to a sitting position with minimal wincing. His arms are throbbing from the bruises coating the skin and his back stings with deep gashes. He refuses to give in to the pained wince that makes its way up his throat.

Luo Fei’s stomach rumbled but he ignored it with ease. After all, practice made almost perfect, and he’s had plenty of fucking practice. While ignorance against reality certainly didn’t _solve_ any problems, it gave him ample time to think of one. He leaned against the metal bars, his wounds touching the cold steel alighting in pain. 

Luo Fei promptly ignored that as well.

The room was silent apart from his own quiet shifting. He promptly guessed that the others were still asleep. ‘All as well,’ he mused to himself, ‘no use in waking the dead to flounder into living.’ Sleep was a much welcomed distraction against thoughts he had when awake; but he’s dreamed enough.

Luo Fei idly tilts his head back to the steel, fingers pressing the bruising on his stomach, only twitching slightly at the searing pain of his abdomen. 

They had beaten him up pretty badly, though not his worst. Luo Fei still vividly remembers the time they kicked him hard enough that god knows how many ribs they had cracked. He internally snorts at the memory. Well, he had bitten off the lousy bastard’s thumb straight through the bone, but it had been well worth it to see the ooze of blood pouring from the uneven wound and the bastard’s screams as Luo Fei spit out the offending piece of flesh from his mouth.

The room was cold; and while this meant that his wounds wouldn’t fester infections; it also meant that his meager and filthy robe did less than nothing to keep him warm. For a moment, less than a second really, Luo Fei allowed himself the full rage of his anger to take hold. For the constant presence of fury, muted and chained like him, to uncoil and wrap its piling hunger; its bloodlust; inside of him. The acknowledgement warmed him; wrapping him in certainty of the people he so dearly wished into corpses, maggots and flies picking at their rotting flesh.

He allowed this flame to sear him, to burn him alive, before deftly locking it back into its chains and cages where it howled and screamed to reign itself back into Luo Fei’s flesh.

‘ _Patience,_ ’ Luo Fei cooned at it, ‘ _We shall get our revenge. We shall see to their pleads of death and writhing agony as we burn them into ash and flame, watching as their bodies melt into bones._ ’

And the anger?

It cooned back in pleasure.

With the headiness of revenge warming him, Luo Fei took a deep inhale of freezing air before exhaling it back out with a soft huff. Luo Fei knew they were being transported. From the engulfing humidity of Yunhai to the freezing unknown of Qihan.

To be sold to some rich bastards with golden palaces and rotting hearts.

His anger prowled lethally in its silver cage.

Anger was good. It gave him something to focus on other than the bleeding of his back and the bruising of his skin. It fueled him when the emptiness of his stomach stole his breath away and made a harsh white dapple his vision.

It fanned the fire of his wings and the feeble hope in his chest that he will one day see the sky again.

A quiet murmur broke Luo Fei from his frankly depressing thoughts and he perked up at the sound. Ah, it seemed like they were beginning to wake, as soft shufflings and the occasional loud clank of chains echoed through the air. ‘You have to wake up somehow,’ Luo Fei thought, ‘dreams do nothing but lie.’

He blinked.

When had he gotten so scholarly in his words?

A loud shriek rang out and Luo Fei couldn’t help the surprised flinch. Judging by several other sounds of jangling of metal, others had as well.

“I wanna go home, let me go!’ a child’s voice screamed, “Where’s my Ma, I wanna see Ma,”

Luo Fei’s heart sank. Ah, one of those days.

Some of the other cellmates (Luo Fei snorted at the word), the kinder ones; the ones with flower hearts and gentle hands not yet marred by red, attempt to soothe the crying child. If anything, the kid only screamed louder, Luo Fei’s ears ringing with the sound. A few others, the older ones, the ones with flayed backs and eyes that see nothing, spat out harsh words and cruel mockings. 

The rest say nothing; Luo Fei included.

He won’t damn a child with petty lies more than those bastards already have.

Suddenly, Luo Fei feels the room? The transport? Whatever the hell they’re using to move them abruptly stop.

All the chattering immediately quiets. Save for the still sobbing child.

He would have found the sudden lack of noise funny before; when he was young and wild; but now all he feels is coiling anger in his stomach; like a snake readying to strike.

The door flings open and Luo Fei isn’t prepared for the onslaught of light that glares into the previously pitch black room. He closes his eyes before blinking rapidly in succession at the scowling man plundering into the room. 

He hasn’t seen this one before.

“Shut your fucking mouth, you lil’ shit,” He snarled, lumbering over to the crying child, “Why the fuck did you cry so loud? No one’s listenin’ to your fucking babbling over your cry of ‘mommy this’ and ‘mommy that’. It’s annoying as hell!” He kicked at the cage, rattling the child cowering inside.

Probably new then, with the way he’s damaging merchandise. Luo Fei thought before glancing at the child.

Pale brown hair, Luo Fei noticed, and soft drooping eyes. Prominent features of the Lu Clan [ (Lu鹿; deer, fawn) ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sika_deer) His eyes flickered to the child’s clothes; new, and colored a pale pink with a jade pendant hanging from a red-colored sash, and her braided hair coming apart from where it was tied up with scarlet ribbons.

She looked no older than seven.

Luo Fei’s heart chilled into fractured ice.

Fat globs of tears fell from her eyes but the chains prevented her from edging away from the man’s presence. “Let me go,” she cried, (Luo Fei noticed the purpling bruise on her cheek), “I wanna go see Mama! I wanna go see my Ma!” (Her wrists: tiny, fragile, _breakable_ , were chapped and bleeding from the steel cuffs.)

The man just laughed.

Luo Fei only saw red.

“Well that’s a shame isn’t it,” he smiled, a vile disgusting thing, “Too bad you’ll never see your ‘ittle wittle _Mama_ , again.” He knelt down giving the girl a face of mock pity, “She sold you to us. She didn’t want you anymore”

“That’s not true!” she screamed; Luo Fei saw her hands shake regardless, “Mama wouldn’t do that! Mama loves me! She told me so herself!!”

The man yanked roughly at her hair, pulling her towards him and sneered, “And what, she can’t lie?”

The girl started to cry harder.

He laughed, yanking the girl back and forth by her hair as if dangling a fishing rod by a lake, the girl screaming and crying in pain; her hands clawing at the man to stop. “A shame you’re Boss’ find,” he chanted, his eyes crinkling in amusement, “It would have been nice if I got you instead. I heard that members of the Lu Clan have snow white dapplings on their pelts when they’re young.

“Stop it, she’s just a child!” The woman next cell over cried out. (White hair, cut short, early twenties) Without looking, the man let go of the child before grabbing the woman’s white strands of hair and slammed her face to the ground; creating a resounding, sickening crack.

Everyone flinched, some cried out before muffling their tears, and looked away. 

Luo Fei watched with unblinking eyes.

(The woman never got up.)

(He ticked another tally in his head.)

The man dusted his hands, as if dusting something away, and turned, looking bored. “Are you going to scream again?” he asked the girl.

The child brought her hands up to her mouth to muffle her crying.

“Boring,” he yawned, picking at his ear.

A voice came from outside, “Yo, Baizhun, you done with loading the merchandise up yet?”

“Nope,” Baizhun said cheerfully, as if his hands weren’t stained with red, as if he hadn’t just taken another life, “Got caught up in some fun.”

A snort, “Well get them out soon, we’re almost at the palace.”

“Got it, got it.” He went to close the door and lit up the oil lamps in the room.

The carriage began moving again.

Baizhun noticed him staring and scowled. “What the fuck are you staring at, freak.”

Luo Fei was memorizing his features, the left-upper front jagged tooth, the shade of black in his eyes, the tilt of his chin and facial muscles, the burn scar next to his neck, and every other detail of his speech and body manner before storing it into the cavern of his mind. 

He said nothing to him.

Baizhun, apparently bored of his silence, snorted and turned away, grabbing at the chains and harnesses to prepare them to leave their cells. ‘ _All the better_ ,’ Luo Fei thought, shiftling so more of his dirty hair covered his features, ‘ _to see his face properly when I rip his throat out from his head._ ’

Baizhun began with the women, yanking them from the cell and attaching cuffs with a metal bar separating her hands and a metal chain with another large cuff on it to attach it to her neck. The cuffs prevent her from shifting and Luo Fei knows from personal experience that the cuffs are tight enough to burn the insides of your lungs at every inhale and leave ring-shaped bruises alongside your wrists.

He looks away, glancing at the flickering fire of an oil lamp. The fire burns just a little brighter and hotter when it notices Luo Fei’s eyes on it; as if recognizing who he was and wanting to impress him with the heat of its flame.

Soon enough, it’s his turn, and he says nothing as Baizhun attaches the same cuff and chain on him before walking away to do the same to Luo Fei’s neighbor. He unlocks the cell door, and freedom, so tantalizingly close and sweet wafts in front of Luo Fei’s figure. But as much as he wants to burst through the cage and door and soar into the yearning sky, he remains sitting. 

Patience, a part of his conscience whispers, wait for the right moment. Where there won’t be so many casualties. Where he won’t pay his freedom with the blood of those who have bled enough.

He closes his eyes, turning away from the fire and the door.

Tired. He was so tired.

But he remains there, in the cold steel, ticking off the tally marks of taken lives as if they were tickings of a bomb.

Luo Fei remembers every single one.

He drifts off like that, dreaming of white skies and hefty fingers painting clouds red with blood.

Finally, the carriage stops for what Luo Fei thinks is the final time.

He immediately kicks away all pretense of drowsiness.

Baizhun steps out and closes the door. (No click, unlocked, Luo Fei notices.)

There’s murmuring coming from outside and Luo Fei strains his ears to hear but makes out nothing. Frustrated, he focuses on the lilt of their voices and the sounds they express but even then that’s too much because they’re way too many damn voices talking.

Luo Fei makes a split-second decision to silently crawl out of the cage and presses his ear against the door that Baizhun had closed not moments ago. He notices that some of the others are gaping at him but he ignores them in favor of finally making out the voices outside.

“--esty, this humble servant has brought a welcoming gift,” a voice says.

Soft murmuring, and a cold snort that is no short of mocking. And, judging from the pitch of the voice, Luo Fei assumes that the snorter was a young woman. Quite a bit away from where Voice #1 was speaking.

Snorting voice speaks again and Luo Fei strains to listen, “As did many others. What makes your gift so special that it must interrupt the greetings of the rest?”

Embarrassed sputtering by Voice #1 before a new voice chimed in, “Forgive this lowly servant for interrupting, but his benefactor has brought something that His Royal Majesty will indeed find interesting,”

“What a slimy sounding piece of shit,” a boy whispered next to Luo Fei’s ear. Luo Fei startled slightly, and a quick glance around showed him that he had generated a crowd who, possibly spurred by his own recklessness, were all pressed against the door and wall, listening in. 

“I know right?” Luo Fei murmured back, the boy shooting him a grin in which he returned. They all perked up when Snorting voice spoke again.

“Really,” She(?) said, irritation lacing her tone, “What kind of gift is so important, so vital, that you must push and interrupt a young princess’s greeting gift? You, a measly, self-arrogant, pi--”

A softer voice whispered something illegible aimed to Snorting voice; to which Snorting voice huffed and said, in a manner much calmer, but no less irritated, than before:

“Fine. If you are so confident with your endeavor, present the gift that you said would so please His Majesty. I, too, am curious at what kind of gift you have hidden in that carriage of cold steel and locked doors.”

“With pleasure,” the smarmy voice said, pleased.

That was the cue for the gathering crowd to disperse and scatter back into their cages as if they were never peeping in the first place. As Luo Fei tried to quietly slaunter back, the pink dressed child from before broke free from a woman’s grasp and carted out the unlocked door.

Luo Fei didn’t even think before he raced forward and caught the foolish child in a moment of pure adrenaline; just as she began stumbling towards the ground with a yelp.

Unfortunately, this short burst of stamina didn’t last long enough to haul her back into the carriage. The wounds on his back protested against his sudden movement, flaring up in pain which was only made worse by the (frankly embarrassing) cartwheel that had him landing face-first into the ground. At least his stupid ass hair worked like a folding screen, blocking his face and the child that was tucked safely in his arms.

Behind him, from a sharp bark of orders, and heard, rather than saw, the others quickly clamber down from the carriage in loud, clumsy movements aided by malnourishment and days of sitting without movement.

The child wriggled out of Luo Fei’s grasp and ran up to the woman that was holding her earlier. 

Luo Fei let out a sound of quiet relief. Some of them wobbled up to Luo Fei and muttered if he was alright but he waved them off. Only then did he take up his surroundings, noting that it was rather quiet.

Luo Fei sat up slowly, head bowed, risking a quick glance around from beneath his curtain of hair and noticed that it wasn’t just quiet, it was also cold. It felt like the temperature had dropped ten degrees the moment they stumbled out of the carriage. God, he hated the cold. Also, was it just him or did the atmosphere turn from tense to super, _super_ tense?

He couldn’t see much due to his stupid hair but he could make out a large, open room that just _sparkled_ with riches and some blurry, important looking people standing on an elevated space not five meters away all surrounding a fancy-looking throne with a man sitting ontop. Luo Fei turned his head and saw people in elaborate robes and jewelry sitting on the sidelines with the scattering of what seemed to be servants (judging from their attire), gaping at them. 

‘Holy shit,’ Luo Fei thought with a detached sort of realization, ‘they really were in front of the Dragon Emperor of Qihan.’

“Oh my fucking god,” someone whispered.

After what seemed like hours of steeping cold silence, in what could only really be a few seconds, a voice rings out, quiet yet holding so much _fury_ , that Luo Fei couldn’t help but flinch at the words.

“You have brought me slaves.”

No questioning tone, a statement, Luo Fei notes.

“W,Well, yes, I mean, no, Your Majesty, that’s not par--”

A soft tap of a finger meeting wood. 

Everyone flinched.

“Explain yourselves,” Cold, so cold, rich like the rolling waves of the ocean, yet thundering just like its storms.

For the first time in what seemed like forever, Luo Fei felt shudders of fear run up his spine.

Someone steps forward, (Luo Fei gives him a quick glance: short, angular face, simple but expensive robes lined with fur, unreadable eyes, a fox) with an easy-going grin on his face, “Your Imperial Majesty,” he began and Luo Fei immediately recognized him as Smarmy voice, “please do not misunderstand. While this...situation may look unfavorable towards our party, taking into consideration the circumstances of indentured servitude in Your Majesty’s kingdom, this lowly servant assures you that they all come in good peace.”

Luo Fei didn’t even try to hold in his incredulous snort at this bastard’s statement. A few heads turned his way but he just ignored them. If anything, the bastard’s smile only got larger.

“Qihan’s prosperity is well-known and admired by many despite its unfavorable climate of frost and snow, with Your Imperial Majesty being adored and honored for his benevolence and strength,” Smarmy simpered, Luo Fei gagged, “however, it has been many years since the Raze of Fire and Ash City, and His Majesty still has not found a proper spouse to--” 

“What His Majesty does doesn’t seem like any of your fucking business, does it, Official Wu?” The woman snapped.

“Of course not, General Hu,” Official Wu said smoothly, “This lowly one is merely pointing something out.”

General Hu rolled her eyes, “Yeah, sure. If I spoke with that much slime in my voice, I would choke.”

Official Wu’s pompous ass grin slipped a little.

Luo Fei liked this woman.

“I wouldn’t mind being sold to her,” the boy from before whispered to Luo Fei with a snicker. Luo Fei grinned back and was about to reply when he felt a blinding pain from his scalp and he stumbled to the ground with a surprised yelp which quickly turned into a snarl.

Some bastard was yanking roughly at his hair, pulling him forward next to Official Wu and his other hand pulling at the chains connected to his throat and Luo Fei fucking saw _stars_ . Holy fuck it fucking hurts, shit, fucking ow, while his hands, seperated by a bar, attempted to gouge out as much fucking flesh he could from the bastard’s hands. Fucking hell, shit, he can’t _breathe_.

Vaguely, he could make General Hu’s furious voice speaking, “What the everloving shit are you fucking doing?”

Luo Fei didn’t even try to listen to Official Wu’s fucking reply because he was too _busy_ trying to get enough air as to not pass the _fuck_ out. But it had some bullshit of ‘look-alike’, ‘consort’, or some political ass shit that Luo Fei was _not_ interested in at the moment.

God, he wanted them to burn alive.

The hand holding the chain let go and Luo Fei hadn’t even had the time to inhale some sweet fresh air before it yanked at the hair covering his face and pulled it back with such force he was surprised that his fucking head didn’t come off with it. 

His eyes were swimming with unshed tears (because fucking hell if he actually started crying at something like this), so he blinked harshly to clear them. When he could finally freaking see, he got a proper look at his audience and his gaze locked with a young man standing in front of a throne, looking as if he just stood up.

‘ _His eyes are blue_ ,’ was Luo Fei’s first thought, ‘ _and he’s possibly the most gorgeous person I’ve ever laid eyes on_.’ was his second.

His face was all sharp angles and poised elegance; reminding Luo Fei of immortals and gods of frost covered mountains. Gold, embroidered robes fitted to him in heavy silk, all of which pooled around the ground like water. His black hair was set loose, falling over his shoulder and almost reaching the floor in it’s length. He was so stupidly handsome that it almost hurt to look at.

And he was staring at Luo Fei strangely. Actually, scratch that, _all_ of them were staring at Luo Fei strangely.

It wasn’t disgust at the sight of a slave, nor was it the judging stare of a noble looking at goods levying its price. No.

The Emperor of the Heavenly Dragons looks at Luo Fei as if staring at the very moon in which dooming poets sing about. He stared with such anguish that Luo Fei thought of that old tale which told of the man who drowned in the sea reaching the sun yet only becoming it’s reflection. Looking towards something so very beautiful and unreachable yet never once grasping it. There was so much heart wrenching _hope_ in his eyes that Luo Fei could feel his breath catch.

He doesn’t understand.

The others staring at him in different variations of shock and disbelief didn’t make much sense either. Luo Fei has never met any of these people in his life yet they stare at him as if--

As if… 

They knew his secret?

But that would be impossible, he’s never told anyone exce--

The hand gripping at his hair yanked and Luo Fei abandoned the thought to spit out the most terrifying snarl he could manage with his neck bent like a fucking ostrich. Because how _dare_ he treat him and these people like animals; and watched, with no less satisfaction than of a cat eating cream, as the bastard ripped his hands away from Luo Fei’s hair as if burnt.

“Touch me again,” Luo Fei bared his teeth at him, “and I’ll rip your throat out.”

He flinched.

Luo Fei gave him a scathing smile.

“Doesn’t he look like Feng Qing, Your Imperial Majesty?” Official Wu interrupted with a sly smile, “If one was to draw a vermillion mark on his forehead, they would be nearly indistinguishable.”

Curious, Luo Fei glanced at the people on top of the pedestal. General Hu was practically shaking in anger, her knuckles white from the tight grip on her sword. Another woman, dressed in soft greens and elaborate jewels, seemed to be attempting to calm her down, but her flashing eyes betrayed her fury. One man with a strange transparent circle on his face was rolling up his draping sleeves as if about to beat someone. Another, dressed in full regalia armour, was glancing nervously at his left. 

Luo Fei followed the man’s nervous gaze and saw the Dragon Emperor of Qihan staring at Official Wu as if wondering how he would go about flaying the man alive.

Which is fair. Luo Fei also wanted to punch Official Wu’s smile off his fox-like face.

“Why did you bring him here,” His Majesty said, voice holding dark displeasure.

Official Wu gave a deep bow, “The rumors on Your Imperial Majesty’s brilliance is well-founded,” his smile became unreadable, “This humble official is certain that Your Imperial Majesty knows exactly why I have brought you this thing.”

“Cut your goddamn bullshit,” The man wearing the strange circle on his eyes spits out, “You come here with your disrespectful words and your atrocious treatment of these souls; and yet you still have the audacity to ask for _payment_?”

“I believe the choice is up to His Imperial Majesty.” Official Wu barely even glanced at him, but his eyes showed his distain, “Not you.”

“Don’t listen to him, Your Majesty,” The lavishly-dressed woman snarled, “Who knows how trustworthy both him and the slave truly is. We cannot trust them. Please don’t let him sway you with something as backhanded as this.”

A moment of silence, before His Majesty’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits, “How much.”

“Your Majesty!”

Official Wu eyes glinted sharply, “5000 jin of silver and gold.”

Luo Fei gaped at him. Was this man rotten in the head? Who in their right mind would pay 5000 jin of silver and gold for him?

The emperor didn’t even flinch at the absurd amount of money. In fact, to Luo Fei's continued bafflement, he even motioned to the servants to prepare the gold and silver! And the servant immediately complied! If Luo Fei’s hands weren’t tied, he’d be throwing them up in utter disbelief!

The young child from before started to scream again.

‘ _Those muddy bastards_ ,’ Luo Fei whipped his head around, skin grafting around his neck.

Baizhun had kicked the woman who was cradling her, causing her to double over; the child tumbling from her hold.

Luo Fei’s arms _burned_. His nails itched to curve into talons, his body hardening with the need for flight. He fought against the thought.

Luo Fei needed to be careful as not to melt the metal off his hands.

His temper was always a fickle thing.

The emperor speaking stole away his attention from the cowering pair. And he sounded...furious? Now that couldn’t be right, could it? Why would some rich king give half a rat’s ass about them?

“However,” Luo Fei felt his chilling gaze rake over the whole of the party, “I must confer for you to release them. In both chains and freedom.” The ‘ _or else_ ’ was left to hang in the air.

Official Wu clearly wasn’t expecting that, if his incredulous expression was anything to go off of. But the emperor clearly wasn’t asking. Sure, he spewed a bunch of flowery words to express them, but only a fool would mistake the tone of his voice for anything other than fact.

To disobey would mean treason. Or--a much more Luo Fei preferred method, the lack of a head. And if Official Wu was as smart as he thought himself out to be; he would comply.

Apparently, Official Wu was reaching the exact same conclusion, as he gave a deep bow and said smoothly through gritted teeth, “Of course, Your Majesty.”

He straightened and gave a flick of his hand. Immediately, Luo Fei felt the bindings on his hands and neck begin to loosen. _Finally_.

His chains clattered loudly on the floor. Luo Fei rubbed at his bruised wrists and listened. Listened for the sound of metal hitting the floor to stop; for the rest of them to be free. When the last soft clatter rang out, Luo Fei grabbed the closest goon (the one he had snarled at) by the hair.

They didn’t have the chance to scream before Luo Fei slammed their face towards the ground. 

Luo Fei made sure not to kill him, but the sickening crack brought back the rush of blood thrumming in his veins. Death is kind, and Luo Fei wanted them to _burn_. And watch their flesh simper and crackle beneath his fire; but he supposed he would have to settle with this.

“What are you doing! You-” Luo Fei grabbed the next one by the robes and threw him carelessly to the left; their back cracking a dent on the carved walls.

He stood up, rolling his shoulders and relishing in the crack of his bones with his movement. 

When the rest of them descended upon him, Luo Fei merely did the same thing.

A sword jabbed towards his left and Luo Fei ducked, leg automatically twisting up to kick the man in the side. His arm rose up and yanked the sword from the man’s grasp and did a downward slash towards his right, wounding an offending man with a dagger. His other arm braced against the floor; his hips doing a graceful twist in the air and landing lightly on the pads of his feet.

The rest of the soldiers, smartly, hold back.

His muscles burned, and his bones creaked and Luo Fei has never felt more alive.

He turns to the emperor, eyes glaring, just daring him to say anything.

Instead of finding shocked outrage or even disappointment that Luo Fei was expecting; he instead was met with amusement?

Was this man crazy??

**Author's Note:**

> tw//explicit mentions of slavery, abuse of a child, descriptions of the mc being violent, and people being bastards.
> 
> anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! i'll try to post a character guide with their names explained in detail that doesn't have spoilers.


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